


one step in the right direction

by JazzGirl123



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Pre-Relationship, Start of Something New
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-11 21:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20160172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazzGirl123/pseuds/JazzGirl123
Summary: “If you’re gonna mess around in my living room, I’d rather not watch,” deadpanned Jonathan, poking his head back into the room. “No matter what everyone at school might think, that’s not my thing.”“I mean, it’d be a hell of a better show than the last one,” remarked Steve..Takes place during Season Two, Episode 2, because Steve isn't a bad boyfriend and can tell when Nancy wants to leave this stupid Halloween party. And if they happen to run into Jonathan on their way out, so be it. They needed a good time together (without any monsters or fire, preferably).





	one step in the right direction

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! Highkey in love with this OT3 so I really hope I did them justice in this! Hope you guys like it!

“Guess who just got dethroned, Harrington?” Tommy hollered, beer jostling from his cup as he leaned up against Billy Hargrove.

Steve lowered his sunglasses, raising his eyebrows at the Californian boy, and Nancy immediately left his side, not wanting to witness him try to get his record back. That and she was just not in the interest of seeing Hargrove mentally undress her boyfriend again.

Sweeping her curls from her face, she served herself some punch with a deep sigh. 

She knew she had agreed to be a normal teenager for one night, she knew Steve wasn’t close with Barb, that he didn’t fully experience the same things she did. She knew all of that. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to deny what happened, or for not wanting to involve the people who had threatened them.

But it didn’t sit right with her, not one bit, and she was tired of pretending. 

“Nance?”

Steve placed a hand on her shoulder, eyebrows furrowed with concern, and she gave him a half smile. 

“Did you get your title back?” She asked softly, and he hummed, moving a stray curl from her face. “What?”

“Do you want to leave?” Steve asked, and she blinked. “You look a little pale.”

“I thought you wanted to party,” replied Nancy, unable to keep a bit of bite out of her voice. “I mean, you’ve got a reputation to keep, right?”

He shrugged.

“It’s no point if you’re not having fun,” he remarked. “Do you want to leave? We can go find something else to do, no party or costume or drinking-”

Nancy pulled the cup away from his grasp, taking a sip. 

“Hey, get your own drink,” she said, scrunching her nose up at him even as she felt the heavy rock in her stomach lighten up just the slightest bit. “Yeah, though. You don’t mind leaving early? I mean, it’s only, like, seven.”

“Tina’s parties always suck anyways,” said Steve, putting his arm around her shoulders. “I would rather do something fun with you. Now come on, we gotta convince Betty to move her car so I can move mine.”

“I thought you parked on the street so no one would hit your car?” Nancy remarked as they walked towards the door. 

“I did, Betty can’t park for the life of her,” murmured Steve, and she laughed. “Shit, now I think Jimmy blocked her. Doesn’t anyone at our school know how to work a car?”

“We could always walk,” offered Nancy, but the disappointment must have been obvious on her face because Steve leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. “Look, I don’t mind staying, really-”

“Nah, you don’t wanna stay,” said Steve, glancing around the lot of parked cars. “Hey, is that Byers?”

“What, no way,” she replied, even as she spotted Jonathan slipping out of his car. “Oh! He actually came!”

Slipping out of Steve’s hold, Nancy bounced over to their classmate, beaming. 

“No trick or treating tonight?” She teased, poking his chest. 

Jonathan laughed awkwardly, tugging on the sleeves of his jacket as he glanced at Steve approaching them. 

“I thought I’d, uh, stop by and see what all the buzz was about,” he remarked. “You guys leaving?”

“Trying to,” replied Steve, sighing. “Apparently it’s a game of Tetris or some shit to block off my car.”

“Yeah, the party ended up being….too much,” explained Nancy, glancing down at the drink still in her hand. “We were gonna figure out something else to do.”

“Oh.” Jonathan cleared his throat. “Well, uh, I could give you a ride.”

“What, you just got here, man,” exclaimed Steve. “Can’t ask you to do that.”

“Parties aren’t really my thing.” The other boy ran a hand through his hair, shrugging as nonchalantly as he could. “I don’t really mind. Where did you guys want me to drop you off?”

Steve and Nancy exchanged looks, unsure.

“To be honest, we haven’t figured that out yet,” she confessed. “But, um, since the party isn’t your thing, why don’t you join us?” Ignoring both boys’ surprised looks, she pressed on, “I mean, it’s been a while since the three of us hung out with no monsters or anything, right? It’d be fun.”

“You know what, she’s right.” Steve took off his sunglasses, tucking them into the front of his shirt. “What do you say? Know any fun places around here?”

“My Plan A for tonight was trick-or-treating with my brother, so no,” remarked Jonathan, a bit flatly. “Uh, well. My mom’s boyfriend took her out to dinner, so we could go to my place and watch a movie or something?”

“Oh, we could order pizza,” exclaimed Nancy, excited. “I’m starving. Tina doesn’t have anything but punch and potato chips in there.”

“You know what, that sounds pretty cool, Byers,” remarked Steve. “I’m in.” 

Jonathan gave him a small smile, and the three of them piled into his car, pulling away from the party. The drive to his house was quiet, and he couldn’t help but keep glancing back at the couple in the backseat. 

“Um, make yourself comfortable,” he said, taking his jacket off as he led them into his living room. “Do you guys want anything to drink?”

“Water, please,” called Nancy, finishing off the rest of her drink with a slight grimace. It was definitely not as good as Tommy claimed, but at least it left her with a pleasant buzz. “Is it okay if we order the pizza now?”

“Yeah, knock yourselves out,” replied Jonathan, getting glasses from the kitchen. “Uh, you can pick out a movie if you want too. They’re under the TV.”

“Not a bad collection, Byers,” remarked Steve, looking through the different VHS tapes. “Oh, shit, you’ve got  _ Flashdance _ !”

“Uh, yeah, my mom rented that,” said Jonathan as he came back into the living room with their drinks. “You like that?”

“I mean, yeah, Jennifer Beals is smoking hot,” replied the older boy, already taking the tape out of its box. “And, uh, don’t tell anyone, but I’m sorta soft for romance movies.”

“Who would hear me talk about King Steve?” Jonathan settled in his usual spot on the armchair, letting the couple have the couch, only to start in surprise when Nancy plopped down on the arm right beside him. “Uh, did you order already?”

“Yeah, I figured three boxes would be good between us,” she replied, reaching for the glass of water. 

“Three?” The boys repeated, giving her a surprised look.

Nancy nodded, taking a sip of her drink.

“Yeah, I mean two starving teenage boys? That’s at least a pizza and a half right there,” she remarked, laughing. “I mean, Mike and the boys go through two by themselves whenever they’re in the basement.”

“Aren’t they always in your basement?” Jonathan remarked, and she nodded, still giggling. “I think they live down there.”

“I’m afraid they just might one day.” Nancy looked over at her boyfriend. “So what are we watching?”

“ _ Flashdance _ ,” answered Steve, plopping down on the couch. “What kinda pizza did you get?”

“Pepperoni,” she answered, surprising Jonathan when she didn’t move from her spot. “And really? Is this because you think Jennifer Beals is hot or because it’s a romantic movie?”

“Why can’t it be both?”

Nancy rolled her eyes, though it was obvious it was with playful intent, and shushed the boys as the movie started. At some point, she yawned, and fell backwards into Jonathan’s lap, not seeming to care. 

Jonathan, on the other hand, gave a panicked look over to Steve, who simply raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t say a word as he turned his attention back to the movie. He seriously had no idea what was going on tonight. 

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how he looked at it), Nancy ended up moving after the pizza arrived. 

“I can get it-” Jonathan offered when she came inside carrying the food, only to be waved off.

“Nah, it’s on me,” she insisted. “Consider it thanks for saving us from that lame party. And for the ride.”

Taking a slice for herself, she plopped down next to Steve, and Jonathan pushed down his disappointment. He had no reason to be upset over it; they were the ones dating, after all. 

“We should do this more often,” voiced Steve suddenly, and the other two teenagers glanced at him curiously. “I mean, hang out. The three of us.” He shifted in his seat to properly look up at Nancy, perched on his legs. “Look, I mean, I want to be a normal kid, yeah, but you said you didn’t want to ignore what happened with Barb - and I’m, I’m not, Nance. Okay, that was some serious shit.”

“Steve….” She glanced over at Jonathan, and he awkwardly looked away. “We don’t have to talk about that now.”

“I think we do.” Steve took a deep breath. “I’m not trying to fight with you again or, like, pretend nothing happened. I just meant…..hanging out with Jonathan, it’s a good compromise. We can be normal, and there’s one more person to talk about what happened. To understand, you know? Because I - I don’t really understand what happened, to be honest with you, Nancy, not all of it. And I want to, because obviously this has been bothering you for a while. Don’t think I didn’t notice your attitude with me at the party.”

Nancy tugged at the hem of her skirt, staying silent as she took in what he was saying. 

“Do you want to know what happened?” Jonathan asked, and the other two whipped around to look at him. “We can tell you. Right, Nancy? I mean, he was there for part of it.”

She stared at him, noted the confused but hopeful look on his face, and then back at her boyfriend, who was watching her carefully. 

“I just want to understand what’s going on, so I can help you more,” Steve said softly, lacing their fingers together and her heart melted a bit. 

“Yeah...yeah, okay,” she said finally, taking a deep breath. “It’s a little crazy though.”

“So was what happened in this living room,” countered Steve, cocking an eyebrow. “Hit me.”

So Jonathan and Nancy told him the whole story, bits and pieces from what Joyce and Hopper, and the kids had told them, thought they told him their end in full detail, from Jonathan blinking and missing Barb getting pulled into the Upside-Down, to setting the traps for the monster that at that point Steve had joined them for.

By the end, Steve was staring at the pizza that had gone cold in his grasp, blinking as he tried to take in everything that the two younger teenagers told him. 

“Holy shit,” he said breathlessly. “I know I saw that thing for myself, but none of this seems possible.” He dropped his pizza slice back into the box, and pulled Nancy close to kiss her forehead. “I’m sorry, I can see now why you can’t let go of what happened. I’m sorry I didn’t take you seriously.”

“I’m sorry too.” Nancy buried her face in the crook of his shoulder. “I should have talked to you sooner, and tried to relax more. I just…with Barb and everything...I couldn’t pretend like we didn’t - like we didn’t kill her.”

“You didn’t kill her!”

Steve and Nancy jumped, once again forgetting Jonathan was there, and he let out a heavy sigh.

“This  _ is  _ my living room, you know,” he remarked. “Look, you didn’t kill her. You guys were just, I dunno, being normal teenagers. Barb was being a good friend and staying with you. If you want to go down that road, then I’m responsible too for not watching close enough when I was there.”

“I shouldn’t have left her though,” said Nancy softly, running her hands through her hair. “I should have gone with her. I was just so focused on….” She looked over at Steve, and she felt tears well up in the corner of her eyes. “Is it wrong? Us?”

“What?” Steve looked taken aback, but then understanding settled on his features. “Whoa, Nancy. Is this why…?”

Jonathan quietly slid off the armchair, tiptoeing out of the living room towards his bedroom. It definitely seemed like his part in this outing was done; in fact, he doubted he had been needed in the first place. 

Really, he was sure they just hung out with him out of guilt, and that was fine. He was fine with that; it was nothing he wasn’t used to. 

“Where are you going?” Steve called, and he froze. “Byers, come back.”

“If you’re gonna mess around in my living room, I’d rather not watch,” deadpanned Jonathan, poking his head back into the room. “No matter what everyone at school might think, that’s not my thing.”

“I mean, it’d be a hell of a better show than the last one,” remarked Steve, and Nancy threw a wadded napkin at his face. “Look, Jonathan. I meant it. Us hanging out and talking about all of this. Turns out you’re not so bad to be around, and I mean, Nancy likes you for a reason, and not just because of your hair. I mean, it’s not cool like mine but I can see it, you know-”

“Steve!” Nancy smacked his chest, face flushing. “What are you talking about?”

“Yeah, Harrington.” Jonathan crossed his arms, leaning against the wall, keeping his distance, as he stared at the older boy with furrowed eyebrows. “What the hell are you talking about? Once second we’re talking about monsters and traps, and now you’re talking about…I don’t even know.”

Steve shrugged, sliding the sunglasses off his shirt and putting them back on his face, avoiding looking at them.

“It’s no secret you’ve got a crush on my girlfriend, Byers, or that she feels the same,” he murmured, steamrolling over their surprised gasps. “I know I’m not booksmart, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that. But, you know, I’m in love with this girl right here, and I kinda hope she loves me back-”

“Of course I do,” interrupted Nancy, snatching the sunglasses off his face. “Steve, get to the point.”

“You’ve got feelings for Byers,” said Steve bluntly. “And so do I.”

Silence. 

Absolute dead silence. 

“What?” Nancy whispered, blinking. “You....”

“I’ve got feelings for you both,” repeated Steve, digging his nails into his palm, trying to form his thoughts coherently. It was something he wanted to say for a while, but it never seemed like the time; he was starting to think it would never be the time. “I wasn’t really expecting it, either times, honestly.”

He sighed again.

“Nance, I love you, you know that. But when we started going out last year, I wasn’t expecting to fall for you as hard as I did. I kinda…expected things to be loose and fun, like my past girlfriends. But it was a nice surprise when I realized I love you, and god, I do. I really do.”

Steve looked over his shoulder at Jonathan, who merely continued to stare at him with that damn nervous, confused look.

“And, look, Byers. I know I haven’t always been the best guy, to you or to anyone really. I really deserved that ass kicking you gave me last year. Actually, it’s what got me started thinking about you. Not, like, romantically. At first. Just that maybe I was wrong about you and shit. Started thinking why I always thought you were a freak, and I realized you’re not a freak at all. I mean, you kinda are, fighting monsters and shit, but I  _ like  _ that about you. I like  _ you _ .”

“Kinda ironic given how much you used to call me gay and other things,” said Jonathan, finally coming closer and joining them on the couch. “You really like me? Both of us?”

“What does that even mean, Steve?” Nancy asked. “I mean…”

“Trust me, I’m aware it’s...not normal,” assured Steve, looking between the two of them. “Hell, I don’t even know if I’m gonna end up going home with having heart broken twice! But I mean, I tried being normal. We tried being normal, Nancy. It made you miserable, and made me look like an asshole.”

He laughed, but it was empty and a bit too forced.

“Hell, maybe I’m the freak for liking two people, one of which is-”

He was cut off as Jonathan leaned over and kissed him, long slender fingers cupping his face, and he wasn’t sure if the sharp gasp was from him or Nancy or Jonathan himself. Steve had kissed before, but this...this was like skipping fourth period and kissing Stephanie Rivera under the staircase in seventh grade all over again. It was terrifying and exciting and electrifying all at once. 

He felt Jonathan pull away, and Steve didn’t think, just cupped the other boy’s face in his hands and pulled him close because hell if this was a fever dream he didn’t want to end just yet. 

It was only when Jonathan leaned closer, and Steve leaned back, dragging him with him, and he bumped into Nancy, that he remembered what was going on. 

“Oh my god….” She whispered, eyes blown wide. 

Jonathan, looking as freshly-kissed as he felt, looked over at her, an apology on his lips, but then she leaned over and grabbed at his shirt at the same time he surged forward, meeting her halfway as she pressed her lips to his. Kissing Steve had been all sorts of new, being his first kiss entirely, but it was quiet and unsure. Kissing Nancy was the opposite, certain and passionate, and explosive. 

The engine of a car pulling up outside pulled them apart, and the three teenagers stared at each other, Jonathan and Nancy practically hovering over Steve in the middle, Steve having an awkward hand on Jonathan’s shoulder and Nancy’s waist, almost pulling them to keep them from wobbling off the couch. 

And then they were scrambling off of each other, grabbing at the pizza boxes and napkins and jackets and shoes, the door opening to reveal a giggling Joyce and Bob.

“Hey, Mom!” Jonathan greeted, a bit too loudly. “You’re - You’re back early!”

“Hey, sweetie,” replied Joyce, smiling at the other two teenagers. “Early? It’s almost nine o’clock, honey. Where’s Will?”

“At my place, trading candy with Mike,” answered Nancy quickly. “Uh, hi, Mrs. Byers. Steve and I were just leaving.”

“Yeah, I’m dropping them off before I go pick up Will,” assured Jonathan, scrambling to put on his jacket, only to realize it was Steve’s. He was in too deep though and just tugged on it. “I’ll be back, Mom. Uh, guys?”

“Coming!” 

The three of them practically fell over themselves as they pushed their way through the door, leaving behind two bewildered adults. Getting in the car was no better, and Jonathan huffed as he gripped the steering wheel.

For a moment, no one said anything. 

And then Nancy laughed. 

“Sorry,” she said, covering her mouth to try and smuggle her giggles. “I’m sorry, so sorry, it’s just….”

Steve joined in, and then soon Jonathan. 

It wasn’t really funny, none of what just happened, but somehow this was good. What it meant, the movie night, the talk, the kiss, all of it, they didn’t know yet.

But it was a step in a good direction, and they couldn’t wait to see where it led them.

**Author's Note:**

> You know, ideally, Nancy and Steve should have had a real breakup and talk, Steve and Jonathan should have had a real talk and apology, Nancy and Jonathan should have started dating only to realize something was missing, and Steve should have realized he was in love with them both but was in too deep because at that point he had already hooked up with Billy Hargrove in the locker room showers twice already. 
> 
> But that's just me lmao rip hope you guys enjoyed! :)


End file.
